Chapter 110
Rosemary had intended to see just how shameless Larry could be, to boldly spout such incredulous lies. But the waiter swung the door open for her, and the three people inside all turned their heads to look at her almost simultaneously.
Rosemary walked in with a smile and took a seat next to Maxwell. She would have preferred to sit somewhere else, but that was the only empty spot in the private room.
“What are you talking about?” she asked.
Maxwell’s lips curled into a slight smile. “We’re talking about the close bond you and your sister share, how you’ve always doted on her.”
He was thoroughly familiar with Rosemary’s family situation, from when her mother passed away, to when the stepmother entered the family, even to the details of when Larry punished her for Stacey, or even the exact dates she skipped school.
Rosemary looked up to see Larry staring at her nervously, as though he would rather answer on her behalf.
“Yeah, we’re close. After all, after so many years, she is still alive and well,” she said blandly.
Larry’s face relaxed a bit with the first half of her sentence, but tensed up like a drum at her second half, “What are you blabbering about in front of Maxwell? Don’t make yourself the laughing stock.”
“He’s my husband, that makes us family. If we’re family, there’s no need to be so wary, even weighing our words,” Rosemary was in high spirits, well aware of Larry’s motives. He was trying to play on familial affection, hoping Maxwell would help Stacey solve her trouble because they were family.
So, with her next words in mind, she smiled even more innocently: “Or should I say, Daddy, you don’t really consider Maxwell as family but rather a cash cow, which is why you’re catering to him in every possible way?”
“Shut your mouth,” Larry fumed, his eyes bulging as if they were about to pop out, his hand on the table clenching into a fist, shaking uncontrollably with the force.
Stacey was patting his back to calm him down, her eyes red and teary, a mix of urgency, anger, and hurt, “Sister, how can you talk to Dad like that?”
“With that low tolerance for pressure, why are you even sitting here?” Rosemary’s surface laughter faded, revealing her impatience and indifference.
Before Stacey could spit out harsher words, Larry immediately stopped her, knowing that playing the family card wouldn’t work on Rosemary. Therefore, he cut to the chase: “You must know about your sister’s troubles. Come up with a condition, let Maxwell help sort this out for her. The debt collectors are ruthless, and if she can’t pay up, they might drive her to her grave!”
He would have preferred to go straight to Maxwell if he could, but he knew that despite being Rosemary’s biological father, without a word from Rosemary, no matter how much he pleaded with Greenwood, this man wouldn’t pay him the slightest attention.
Rosemary’s hand resting on her knee curled unconsciously, her eyes glazing over, her voice wavering, “You’ll agree to any condition?”
Larry gritted his teeth: “Yes.”
Stacey’s tears flowed, “Dad.”
As Rosemary watched the touching scene unfold, Rosemary felt a pang of heartache. Yet she couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter, “Don’t make it so dramatic, like we’re parting life and
death. I didn’t say I’d help.”
She really wanted to ask Larry: When you were worried about Stacey being hounded to death by debt collectors, why weren’t you worried when you used my ID to take out a loan with high interest? Why didn’t you worry I might be hounded to death?
But then she realized it pointless. If he had been concerned, he wouldn’t have done such things, nor would he have run off with only his wife and Stacey.
Rosemary: “I won’t help, and I can’t.“
She turned to Maxwell, who had been silent throughout, “And you better not help either. Even if you do, I won’t acknowledge it.”
She held up her phone, showing him that she had been recording.
Maxwell was amused by her act. Despite clearly being in distress, she still put on a fierce, unforgiving front to mask her feelings. But his lips twitched into a brief smile that nobody noticed.
Dinner was out of the question now. Facing the two individuals across her who looked like they wanted to tear her apart, Rosemary completely lost her appetite. Her goal for coming here was achieved, and she was about to leave. Yet, someone tried to slap her across the face.
It was Stacey.
And seeing Larry’s expression, one could guess that he also wanted to hit her. However, his age made he knew when and where to control himself, especially with the presence of a great figure like Maxwell.
Any man with a shred of dignity wouldn’t let someone slap his wife in front of him, feelings aside, it’s a matter of pride.
Therefore, before Stacey’s hand could touch her face, Maxwell had grabbed it.
Then came the woman’s agonizing scream!
Stacey’s pretty features crumpled in pain as she cried out “It hurts!” and struggled to free her wrist from Maxwell’s grip. Exclusive © content by N(ô)ve/l/Drama.Org.
As she struggled, the wrist that was held turned visibly from red to blue.
At the moment, she put her utmost strength into it, Maxwell suddenly let go, causing Stacey to fall to the ground along with her chair!
Larry rushed over to help her up. With her lip clutched between her teeth and tears welling up in her eyes, Stacey looked both terrified and on the verge of sobbing.
The man looked at her coldly, as if looking at a dead person, “If there’s a next time, whichever hand is restless will stay.”
Stacey’s body trembled with fear. This was no gentleman, no refined nobleman, but a bandit and tyrant!
Maxwell then turned his gaze to Larry, “Although it might not be strictly legal, the money I gave you was to sever your relationship with Rosemary. Since you accepted it, you need to play by the rules.”
Rosemary was surprised to look at him. Was it that money that made Stacey a top executive at Stellar Group out of nowhere?
Curious as she was, she didn’t ask. After leaving the private room, Maxwell pulled her into an adjacent empty room, “The food here is good. I’m hungry. Stay and have something to eat with me.”
Rosemary wasn’t in the mood to eat, but she sat down anyway.
Larry and Stacey were too repulsive that made Maxwell not seem as bad in comparison.
Maxwell obviously knew the menu, ordering several dishes. Rosemary had just been listening uninterestedly when she realized he’d ordered all her favorites.
She wasn’t about to flatter herself by thinking Maxwell had tailored the menu to her tastes or anything, instead, she simply thought to herself, “What a coincidence.”
It’s kind of funny that the two of them, with such similar tastes in food, were indeed a pair of hostile spouses.
Resting her cheek on her hand, Rosemary watched him lost in thought. But Maxwell felt a bit of a lump in his throat under her gaze. He caught sight of his own reflection in her eyes and leaned in closer to her.